Tornado Cash Trial: Ethereum Developer Defends Roman Storm
Defense Phase Begins With Ethereum Witness
After two weeks of prosecution-led testimony, the defense team for Roman Storm opened its case by calling Preston Van Loon, a well-known Ethereum core developer, to the witness stand.
Prosecutors completed their case presentation on Thursday at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, paving the way for defense attorneys to deploy their strategy.
Preston Van Loon’s Testimony
Van Loon offered insight into Tornado Cash’s intended purpose, describing it as a “privacy tool for Ethereum users.” He testified that he personally used the protocol four times in 2019 or 2020 to send a total of 43 ETH, with the primary motive being personal safety.
“If [hackers] knew the extent of my assets, I could become a target,” Van Loon stated, emphasizing the practical privacy needs for developers and users in public blockchain environments.
During cross-examination, prosecutors primarily focused on finding personal connections between Van Loon and Storm, as well as whether he used conventional cryptocurrency platforms like Coinbase.
Defense Strategy
Storm’s lawyers indicated they plan to call “two or three doctors” to testify, and possibly someone from Chainalysis. The defense phase is expected to last about a week.
Serious Charges
Roman Storm currently faces charges of:
- Money laundering
- Conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business
- Conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions
All these charges relate to his role at Tornado Cash, a cryptocurrency mixing service that has been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department.
Potential Penalties
Storm could face multiple years in prison if convicted. Judge Katherine Failla has noted other cryptocurrency cases, including that of Sam Bankman-Fried, the former FTX CEO who was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Previously, Alexey Pertsev, one of the three co-founders of Tornado Cash, was sentenced to more than 5 years in prison in 2024 in the Netherlands on money laundering charges.
Request to Modify Jury Instructions
Storm’s lawyers have filed a motion requesting the judge to modify instructions to the jury to clarify information about Tornado Cash and the North Korean hacker group, Lazarus Group.
